Chapter 40: Final Preparations

It is clear that Araj Aga is dissatisfied with the results of his test. He growls at his charges; he growls at Birgül and Didem; he turns to growl at me but at the last second he moderates his tone. He’s probably sensed my mood.

“They need to do better, Gülnihal Hatun,” he says in a more conciliatory manner. “I’ll be merciful and not punish them tonight. But from tomorrow the girl who performs the worst will be spending the night alone in the dungeon. Make sure they understand that.”

“You expect too much of them,” I reply angrily. “They all have great potential. But they will develop faster without your threats of imprisonment. If you wish to threaten and punish your charges, then I’ll not be your messenger. Tell them yourself.”

I’ve made a serious challenge to his authority. If he has Şah Sultan’s support for his actions, then I’m in danger of being punished myself or expelled from the harem ... or both. But somehow I think Araj Aga has been exceeding his authority. Even if he hasn’t, he’s worried that as a free-woman and a former hatun, I will carry greater influence with Şah Sultan than a mere aga.

Araj Aga is lost for words for a while. Finally he turns to the young women and repeats his threat of imprisonment. Then he marches off with as much dignity as he can salvage. Birgül and Didem explain to the women what has happened, and they repeat what Araj Aga said for the benefit of those who didn’t understand his words the first time.

“It is true, then,” says Didem to me once the excitement has subsided. “You are able twist a man around your little finger.”

“What?!” I reply in astonishment.

“They say you can drive a man wild with lust and having him eating off the floor at your feet,” says Birgül in a tone bordering on awe.

I’m flabbergasted. What occurred just now had nothing to do with seduction, but Birgül and Didem have somehow made a connection. Sure, I’ve been trained to arouse a man to wanton passion, and Hasan will undoubtedly confirm that I’m proficient at that. As for eating off the floor, then there was one time while we were at Heyreddin Pasha’s lodge when Hasan lost a bet with me and did so as a penalty. But I didn’t think anybody else knew about that little game. There can only be one source of these rumours ... Anna von Erdödy. I turn towards her and see the look on her face.

“I want to be able to do that,” she pleads. “We all do.”

I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed it before. I had just assumed that the respect I was receiving from the other women here was because I have been a hatun in the Imperial Harem in Constantinople, and because my jewel trimmed jacket is tangible evidence of Sultan Suleiman’s favour. It seems that my reputed sexual skills have earned me even greater respect. Even the new women seem to have heard the rumour, although I’m not certain how they feel about being trained in those skills. I guess we will find out over the next week or so. It’s certainly a skill which is useful. In a world where women have few rights, the ability to manipulate a man in bed is a powerful weapon.

The training over the next two weeks progresses steadily. Even Araj Aga can’t find too much to complain about, although each evening he puts his charges through a test and one of them, usually Şenay, spends the night in the dungeon. I wish Araj Aga would stop, but I can’t prevent him from testing and punishing his charges. He claims they are learning what they need to know faster as a consequence, and I’ve no evidence to prove him wrong. Even Afife Kalfa is powerless to intervene, and Şah Sultan simply wants the sort of results Araj Aga claims are being achieved by his actions.

All too soon the final week of training arrives. This is the week when Anna and the six women will be taught the skills they seem desperate to learn. Although Didem will be their tutor for these lessons, I’ve agreed to assist her. As with the rest of their training, we don’t have enough time to teach them everything. Besides, this is a subject where classroom lessons need to be reinforced with practical experience. While it is likely that some, if not all, of the women will be called on to put their training into practise, Ahmed isn’t going to be experienced enough to help them fine tune their skills. As for Anna, I’ve no idea when she will have the opportunity to put her newly acquired skills into practise. Perhaps never.

The students are attentive during Didem’s training, which is a bonus. The group I was with when I received this training kept falling into fits of giggles and rounds of teasing. It’s a miracle I managed to learn anything from those sessions. The fear of Araj Aga’s testing, and the knowledge that they may soon be called on to put their training into practise, has helped focus their minds. Despite Araj Aga’s heavy hand, the mood among the women is generally happy and content. Now that they can understand more Turkish, they are able to chat and gossip. Friendships have developed within their group and with other women in the harem. Hopefully those friendships will survive the changes ahead. Even Şenay is beginning to lose her obsession with taking revenge against her stepfather.

“Sultanzade Ahmed intends to award a purple handkerchief tomorrow evening,” says Araj Aga during his evening inspection. “Make sure you are all ready.”

None of the young women understand what Araj Aga’s words mean. Like Birgül and Didem, I had assumed that Ahmed would be introduced to his harem by way of a private audience, so we’ve never mentioned the subject. A purple handkerchief is only a symbolic gift, usually given during a special entertainment of music and dancing before the sultan, or in this case, his nephew. It’s a command to all concerned to have the recipient prepared and sent to his bed the following night. To a trained concubine, the purple handkerchief is a coveted reward and a golden opportunity. To an under-trained odalisque it could spell disaster. Anyone awarded a purple handkerchief is instantly envied by her rivals. But it is a challenge. The chosen woman must earn the real gifts by pleasing the sexual appetite of the man who has summoned her to his bed. If she converts the opportunity into gifts of jewels and fine silks, then her status in the harem rises. If she fails to earn those gifts, then she is ridiculed and, for most, a demotion to the status of an odalisque follows shortly afterwards. That’s the risk. It’s why it takes months of training to become a concubine.